


Briefcases and Bloodsplatter

by LilxLeprechaun



Category: Bull (TV 2016)
Genre: F/M, Falling In Love, Forensics, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Lawyers, Romance, Trials, Workplace Relationship, Workplace Sex
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-27
Updated: 2020-04-23
Packaged: 2021-03-01 00:48:53
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,389
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23336410
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LilxLeprechaun/pseuds/LilxLeprechaun
Summary: Benny Colon never quite knew how empty his lovelife was until a sweet, funny, bumbling british forensic pathologist joins the TAC team.Olivia Byrne comes to NYC to work with TAC on the case of Alyssa Yang, follow the frienships, and the love of a dysfunctional work family ... and a blossoming romantic interest with our favourite Peurto Rican lawyer.Will she go back to working for Scotland Yard? or is there too much keeping her in New York?
Relationships: Benny Colón/Original Female Character(s), Benny Colón/Reader
Comments: 2
Kudos: 14





	1. New Beginnings

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This is my first Benny Colon fic, I don’t think there’s enough out there for him, so I thought I’d give it a crack. This first chapter is essentially introductions to get us off the ground running, so please dont judge too harshly!! :) Thanks for reading. 1622 words

Olivia Byrne looked up at the towering mirror like building and straightened the creases out of her jeans. Her work bag felt heavier today than it had in a long time, she hadn’t worked for an independent company in a long time – she’d been getting comfy in her position with the police, let alone provided evidence to a trial analysis team. She’d heard great things about Dr Jason Bull and his team, but that didn’t make the uncomfortable swirl of nerves go away.

“Come on Liv.” She told herself encouragingly. Olivia had always been a bit shy, and the personal letter and request from Dr Bull that she attend and help them with this trial had not helped to cure her of that. 

With a deep breath she put on a bright smile and entered through the main doors. A bored looking receptionist at the main desk pointed her towards an elevator and informed her she needed floor 22.  
Olivia clipped her visitor’s badge to her blouse and gave herself an affirming nod. She knew she could do this. 

TAC was huge. Olivia hadn’t been quite prepared for the size, or modernity of it. Every wall was glass, and people milled around, talking loudly and pointing at large monitors made up of multiple screens. She was in awe as she looked around, her palms feeling a little over warm with nerves.  
“Olivia Byrne?” A sophisticated blond woman made her way over, a kind smile on her face.  
“That’s me.”  
The blond lady’s smile brightened, and she offered a perfectly manicured hand, “I’m Marissa, I work closely with Dr Bull. We’re really glad you were willing to help us with this case, we’ve never had to bring a forensic pathology specialist in before, it’s quite exciting really.” Her eyes sparkled kindly. 

Olivia wiped her palm on her jeans quickly before shaking Marissa’s outstretched hand. “Hello, please call me Liv, I’ve never been one for formal, which is why I usually spend all my time in a lab. I’m a little nervous, but I hope I can help.” Marissa looked faintly surprised at her outburst. “And I’m babbling a lot aren’t I? I do that when I’m nervous, I’m sorry.”  
Marissa chuckled lightly and shook her head. “Don’t you worry, there’s no one to be nervous of here. We’re all like a big family. I’m sure you’ll fit in while you’re with us. How was your flight?” Marissa started walking down the corridor, motioning for Olivia to follow along with her. 

“Uh long, but good, thank you. It’s nice being away from London for a while.”  
“I can imagine, but I’m afraid New York is no less chaos. I did like London when I visited there though, there’s something about it.” She stopped at a frosted glass door and swiped her ID card, there was a beep and the door opened an inch. “A few of our techs are setting up your lab for the case, just down the hall.”  
Olivia’s eyes widened as she stared in disbelief at the petite blonde lady, “You’ve built me a lab?”

Marissa opened her mouth to answer, but she was cut off by a deep masculine tone coming from inside the room. “Of course you have a lab. We need you to do your best work while you’re here.”  
Marissa bobbed her eyebrows and grinned good naturedly, as she pushed the door open and stepped aside for Olivia to enter. 

Two men inhabited the room, one at a desk – he was blonde with glasses and a typical psychologist’s cardigan. Internally she smirked, this must be Dr Bull.  
“I’m Dr Bull, and welcome to TAC, Miss Olivia Byrne. I’m glad you could make it. I’ve heard a lot about your work for Scotland yard. I took a look at the Parson triple murder case you worked on a couple of months ago. You’re very good at what you do.”  
“Thank you, Dr Bull.”  
“Bull or Jason” Bull cut her off waving his hand. Liv nodded and started again.  
“Thank you, Jason.”

“You’re honoured to be given the choice, you must be good.” A deep, almost lyrical voice said from the other side of the room. Olivia turned to look at it’s owner and her heart skipped a little beat. He had perfect dark hair, olive skin that looked incredibly smooth and the darkest, most intense eyes she had ever seen. He sat in a large leather arm chair, his hands resting casually on his thighs. The expensive looking three piece suit just added to his suave charm.  
Bull sighed and gestured toward the other man “Benny Colon, our in house council.”

Liv swallowed down her nerves and offered him her hand, acutely aware that she wished she’d repainted her nails. “Hello, lovely to meet you.”  
He took her hand in both of his and gave her a firm handshake, his fingers giving her a reassuring squeeze. “The pleasure is mine.”  
Liv couldn’t fight the dusky pink flush that threatened to burn her cheeks, and turned her face away quickly. 

“So,” Bull started, regaining her attention. His eyes flicked momentarily between her and Benny, Olivia could almost see the cogs turning in his head as the corner of his mouth lifted almost imperceptibly. “How much do you know about our current case? I gather it’s not reached the news in good ol’ England?”

“It hasn’t, but I sent Liv a file on the case to look over on her flight. It laid out all the details we have for her.” Marissa said, offering her one of the spare chairs in the room.  
Olivia shook her head, deciding to remain standing after such a long flight. Between plane seats and the three cabs she’d had to take since she left home yesterday, she had begun to lose the feeling in her backside. “Thank you, but I feel like I’ve been sitting for a lifetime, I need to get my blood flowing again.” She did however, place her work back on the ground and crouched next to it, retrieving out the folder she had been sent. “Let’s see … rich boy turns 18, uses daddy’s money to host a big bash on board his, or daddy’s yacht. Does what teenage boys do, and has sex with a pretty girl, only problem is, the pretty girl is found strangled and washed up on the beach …”

Benny nodded his head appreciatively, and smiled at her “Well, that was concise.” Olivia couldn’t help but smile back, his dimples were one of the most attractive things she thought she’d ever seen.  
“Thank you, Mr Colon”

He held his hands up and continued to smile at her reassuringly, his chocolate eyes sparkling with mirth. “Benny, please.”  
“Benny” she repeated, nodding and smiling back. She held his gaze for a couple of seconds before directing her attention back to her temporary boss. “So what would you like me to do? If you have a lab I can probably run all manner of tests, I could even pull a tox screen if you feel it’s needed, my inhouse results might not be as clear cut as a designated tox lab, but I can do my best. I can test for outside or internal factors as well, judge whether anything triggered her body to shut down prior to the strangulation …” Bull just sat back, watching her with an amused look on his face, twirling his glasses around in one hand. Olivia looked back to Marissa, “I’m doing it again, aren’t I?” Marissa laughed gently and nodded, reaching out to pat her hand.

“You tend to over think when in unfamiliar situations. You speak whatever is going through your head in those moments, like you can’t control it. It’s a nervous tick. And here you are, in a new building, in a different country, surrounded by people you don’t know. Your brain is going into overdrive.” Bull analysed, looking smug. 

“In other words.” Benny soothed, standing up from his chair, “You’re nervous and that’s ok. We’ll have you settled in before you know it.” He came to stand beside her and placed a large, warm hand on her shoulder blade. “I need to get down to mock court to go over the opening statement, let me show you to your lab, you can get some peace in there.” He smelled amazing, and with every subtle movement a waft of expensive came her way. Sandalwood, leather and citrus assaulted her nose. 

“A good plan.” Bull also got his feet, nodding at her. “We’ve manged to secure some blood and hair samples if you could look them over for any abnormalities or anomalies.”

“Sure” Olivia smiled reassuringly, and nodded, blood and hair follicle analysis were easy, her bread and butter back home. She went to pick up her work bag, but as her fingers closed around the handle warm, soft fingers collided with hers. Benny, being the gentleman Liv could already tell he was, picked up her bag for her and gestured for her to leave the room, him following closely behind her.  
Marissa watched the pair go, a contented look on her face. With a little sigh she turned to her boss who was also watching his old friend and new employee leave. 

“She seems sweet. If a little nervous.”  
Bull nodded and put his glasses on to look through some paperwork on his desk.  
“She’ll warm up. Benny will look after her.”  
“But Benny can be a bit … aloof … sometimes …”  
“When have I ever given you cause not to trust me, Marissa? Believe me, she’ll have him eating from her palms in no time.” Marissa scrunched her nose up and looked at Bull. “Figuratively speaking.”


	2. Guilty pleasures and Pool

The hours had ticked by without Olivia even noticing. The sun was beginning to dip behind the New York skyline, and TAC’s muted windows allowed the little lab to be flooded with a warm orange light. Beeps and whirs came from the temporary machinery, but she paid them no heed, bobbing her head rhythmically along to the music coming through her headphones. 

She tapped her pen against the table, her dark eyes searching through the data that her earlier blood and hair analysis tests had provided, hoping to find any new information that had not been in the ‘welcome’ pack she had been given by Marissa. 

“Blood-Alcohol level is high. 0.10. High, but not life threatening. Impaired, but not belligerent.” She thought to herself, chewing the cap of her pen, a habit she hadn’t been able to shake since university. “I need to get a test sample of the semen from Alyssa’s body and from the kid. Look and see if there’s blood content mixed in it, or any hallucinogen or toxin.”

She was so involved in the paperwork and her thoughts she hadn’t realised she had company, until he was standing beside her. That delicious smell of sandalwood, leather and citrus engulfed her nose, and she inhaled it happily, closing her eyes for a brief second to savour it. 

Benny gently touched her shoulder to get her attention. She looked up at him, and saw his lips moving, but her music drowned out his words. She quickly removed her headphones and smiled up at him apologetically. 

“Hey Benny, sorry, I was involved in …”

“The Lion King?” he cut her off with a smirk before she could finish her sentence. 

The expression on his face made her mouth dry. Olivia had never been one to get all giggly and shy around men. Even the ones she found attractive. That was her friend Dawn, she normally stayed cool and collected, but there was something about Benny that had struck a cord from the moment the pair of them had made eye contact. It had been completely solidified when Cable and Danny had dropped in to introduce themselves and encouraged her to join them in peeking down into mock court. He oozed confidence while he paced back and forth in front of the jury. He was confident, but not arrogant. His voice full of heat, passion and strength. Olivia was sure she’d never seen someone put so much heart and soul into something that was essentially just an act. He had looked up towards the end of his closing argument and caught her eye. Without missing a beat he’d shot her a dashing smile and a subtle wink. 

And in that moment Olivia knew she’d have to keep her wits about her around the lawyer, or she’d become one of those giggly girls she never thought she’d be. 

“Sorry?” she said, furrowing her brow in confusion. 

“Your headphones, I distinctly heard the opening beats to ‘I just can’t wait to be king’” 

Olivia fought the blush that threatened to spider it’s way up her cheeks. She let out a slightly strained laugh instead. “You caught me.” She joked good naturedly “Everywhere I look in my job there’s doom and gloom. Its nice to listen to something light hearted, you know.” She wasn’t sure why she was explaining herself to him, the words just bubbled out of her throat. “So much death, and it’s always blood readings this, urinalysis that, I’m normally up to my elbows is some form of body fluid – and at home, if I’m in the morgue the people I’m working on don’t mind because you know, they’re dead …” 

Benny said nothing, but listened to her talk with big smile on his face, showcasing his perfectly straight pearly whites and showing off his boyish dimples. His eyes were alight with amusement, but with no malice.

“I should really shut up, shouldn’t I? Because now I’m babbling at you, and you obviously came in here to ask me something, before I started waffling at you about the merits of Disney soundtracks.” She sighed and bit her lip. She put her pen down and flattened her hands out on the table to mentally and physically ground herself. “I’ll try again. What can I do for you, Benny?”

The lawyer shook his head and laughed. It was a deep, smooth sound that Olivia had instantly come to adore, and she hadn’t spent that long in his company so far. ‘this man is going to be the death of me … but I think I could live with it.’ He gently placed a reassuring hand on top of hers, his fingers curling under her palms and giving the appendage a gentle squeeze. 

“If I didn’t already like Disney, you’d have made me a convert.” His deep velvety tones were laced with humour. 

“You’re a Disney fan?” the words and their surprised tone had slipped from Olivia’s mouth before she realised they had left her brain. 

Benny snorted, “Of course.”

“You’re a dark horse aren’t you? Is the brooding, serious lawyer mask hiding more guilty pleasures?” and now she was flirting. Olivia could barely believe herself. But Benny didn’t seem to have a problem with it, although an intensity took over his dark eyes as he regarded her.

“There’s so much more to me than that, Miss Byrne. I’ll be happy to show you sometime.”

She was sure her ears weren’t deceiving her … was he … flirting back?

She bit her lip again and felt the blush course up her cheeks, unhindered this time. She swore he shifted his weight towards her, closing the gap between them a little more. 

The temporary lab door swung open and Marissa wandered in, her head buried in a manilla TAC folder, as usual. Olivia was beginning to realise that was Marissa’s default during the planning stages of a case. Benny almost jumped, as if coming to his senses, and shuffled back to put a bit more space between them. Liv lamented the loss of his warmth by her side. 

“Any luck with the blood and hair Liv?” Marissa asked looking up from her folder with a warm smile. She looked at Benny a little shocked. “Oh Benny …”

“I came to ask Olivia here if she’d like to join us at the bar for drinks tonight. Sort of a welcome thing.” He explained deftly. Olivia noted he’d left out any mention of Disney, or what they were really discussing when Marissa had interrupted.

Marissa nodded emphatically, “You should, it’ll be good to get to know you, and you us, a little better.”

Olivia chewed on her bottom lip. It had been a long day, and she’d not yet managed to return to her hotel and unpack her things, but she supposed one drink wouldn’t hurt. She did want to get to know them all, after all. “I really shouldn’t, as I’ve not even unpacked yet. But I want to keep that jet lag at bay. Gotta get myself properly in your time zone. I’ll come for one.”

Marissa grinned happily, and Benny nodded at her, still regarding her with that hot, intense gaze. 

“One it is! There will be plenty more times. We’re only just getting started.” The blonde said. “But back to why I’m here. Any luck with the blood and hair?”

Olivia opened her own file and pointed to her results with her pen as she spoke, both Benny and Marissa looking over her shoulders. 

“Not much more than you already had. I’ve got the tox and alcohol levels all rated and labelled for you. Is there any way I can get access to the body? I know an autopsy has already been performed, but I’d like to see a few things for myself.”

Marissa nodded, making some notes in her own file. “I will do my best, is there anything else I can do for you?”

Olivia busied herself closing up her notes and packing up her desk. “Yes, I need some semen.”

Benny made an audible choking noise. She glanced at him out the corner of her eye. It was her turn to smirk. 

“Semen?” Marissa repeated, checking she was clear. 

“Yep, a sample from the girl’s body and a living sample from Brandon so I can compare counts and check for abnormalities … ooh and if you can, a sample of what was on Brandon’s clothing for the night in question. In my experience, teenage boys aren’t exactly brilliantly skilled with their target practice, so it shouldn’t be too hard.”

She could see Benny’s shoulders moving as he chuckled under his breath. 

“ok … I’m not sure how I’ll broach that subject, but I’ll do what I can. This could get awkward.”

“Yeah, sorry, I’ve got the easy bit this end.” Olivia shrugged apologetically. 

“No problem, I’ll get this logged. See you at the bar.”

Benny gave Marissa a minute to exit before he turned to her with a devilish grin. “In your experience, huh?”

She laughed and lightly slapped his arm. She was very pleased to feel the hard sinew of bulging muscle beneath the finely tailored cloth he wore. 

“Get your head out the gutter, I’m probably old enough to be his mum.”

“Probably more like a disapproving aunt.” He held his arm out to her like a gentleman when she threw her handbag over her shoulder. “Shall we?”

She willingly accepted his crooked elbow, and let him lead her from the room. “I used to work in a all boys boarding school while I was putting myself through uni. Trust me, there are a few things I wish I could unsee.”

***

“… And a passionfruit daquiri for our newest member of the family. We’re glad you’re here.” Chunk placed the glass of frosted cocktail down in front of her. 

Olivia found herself seated around a large round table, sandwiched between Chunk and Cable, with Marissa and Danny opposite them. They were all laughing, joking and learning things about each other, but she always found her eyes straying to the pool table nearby, where Benny and Bull were in the middle of a heated game. 

Benny was currently leaning against the bar, with his pool cue tucked safely behind one leg. He had discarded his suit jacket, waistcoat and tie. The collar of his light blue shirt open by a few buttons and the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. The fabric did a wonderful job of showing off his muscles. He was laughing and baiting Bull, nursing what was left of his scotch. Occasionally his eyes would flicker up and meet hers, and he would smile, a soft smile. 

“So where did you say you trained in medicine?” Danny asked jovially, catching Olivia’s attention. 

“Oh, Southampton, it’s not a big city or a prestigious university, but it was homely.”

“Southampton …” Chunk tapped his fingers on the table in thought, “Where the Titanic sailed from?”

Olivia nodded, taking a mouthful of her drink and sighing, it was just what she needed, “That’s the place.”

“I’ve only ever seen London, I’d like to go back and travel around, see Cornwall and places like that, I hear they’re beautiful.” Marissa said dreamily. 

“Cornwall is gorgeous, have you ever had a proper British cream tea?”

“Shhhh, don’t mention food, Benny has the hearing of a bat when it comes to food.” Danny laughed. Olivia too giggled and watched the subject of their conversation through her eyelashes. He was leaning over the pool table, lining his cue up to take a shot. She tried not to openly ogle his ass too much, she’d barely been in their company a day, she didn’t want a reputation, but she had to admit, it was hard. 

“Seriously, I’ve never seen someone eat like he does. I’m surprised he’s not fat.” Chunk held his hands up. 

“And he’s like a child if he gets hungry, so if he is, I’d make a break for it Liv, save yourself!!” Cable laughed and made a dramatic hand gesture. 

“I’m sure I can handle him.” She laughed too. “I’ll bring you all some if I get a chance to make some scones.”

There was a loud pop as the final ball of the pool game was potted, and Bull whooped in victory. “And that my friend is why you need to keep your head in the game.” He sounded smug, and Benny slumped onto his bar stool in defeat, rubbing the back of his neck. 

“How about you, new girl, play pool much?” Bull asked her, looking at her over the top of his glasses. 

Liv shook her head. “Not really, a couple of times at uni, and when I was young.”

“Come play the next game with me, I promise I wont clean out your wallet unlike Benny here.”

Everyone was watching her to gauge her reaction, it was Bull’s way of testing her mettle in a friendly manner, to see if she fit in with his little ‘family’. 

“I don’t play much, I might need a few pointers.” She excused herself from the group and joined the two men at the pool table, she was determined to show Bull that she could hold her own. 

“I’ll help you.” Benny said smoothly, finishing his drink and letting his eyes linger on her with that burning intensity. 

“Thank you, Benny.” She said sweetly, taking the cue from his outstretched hand. Their fingers brushed against each other and Liv felt her tummy jingle with butterflies. 

“My pleasure.” It was almost a hungry growl, gravelly, low and almost erotic.

“And I will enjoy beating you both.” Bull said loudly destroying the moment between them. 

“Take him down a peg, Liv!” cheered Chunk and Cable. 

Olivia grinned and gave them a thumbs up. 

“Your break” Bull said lining up the balls in their starter positions. 

“Ok, so if you line up your cue here …” Benny placed one hand on the table where he was indicating and used his other to guide her to the table, his touch warm and secure on the bottom of her back. 

She lined the cue up against his hand and looked down the shaft of wood. “Like this?”

“Mhmm, but a little closer, and lower … like this …” Benny encircled her body with his arms, his chin resting on her shoulder, so he could see. He was warm against her back, and Olivia couldn’t help the big, goofy grin on her face at the contact. 

Across the other side of the table Bull smirked, satisfied with himself as he watched the pair of them. He looked at Marissa, who shook her head with a resigned smile.


	3. How do you catch a cold?

TAC was quiet when Liv finally tip toed her way into the office.

Screen panels were all lit up, but there was no one to be found anywhere. Maybe I missed a meeting? Surely Benny would have told me? She tried to shrug off the nagging feeling of guilt from her little over sleeping blunder and made her way to the lab.

Now she knew where almost everyone was. There was a big crowd standing outside, peering in to the big glass windows. Danny and Chunk stood guard at either side of the door.

“Morning sleepyhead. I’m glad you’re here, I need a coffee.” Chunk greeted her with a warm smile and a small side hug. 

“Morning.” Liv looked at the cluster of people and raised her eyebrows, “What’s with the audience?”

“A delivery for you arrived about 15 minutes ago.” Danny waved her and through the door and Liv cautiously poked her head inside the lab. 

Inside, on a new marble autopsy table, sat a silver box, large enough to hold a human. Alyssa Yang to be precise. The room had been completely renovated into a makeshift mortuary, bottles of chemicals lined the desks and sinks at either end of the table. Everything looked completely up to standard, which was impressive for a makeshift job. 

“Do you guys have little building elves in here or something?” She asked, both Danny and Chunk laughed. 

“Never underestimate TAC … or Marissa.” Chunk chuckled. 

Danny started to usher the crowd of people away, reminding them that they had work to do before everyone gets back. She toughed a switch on a panel beside the door and the glass instantly frosted, giving the lab the illusion of privacy. 

“So where is everyone, other than you guys, obviously?”

They entered the lab and closed the door behind them. Chunk and Danny lingered by her desk while Liv checked through the paperwork and ID tags attached to the box. 

“It’s Voire Dire day, they’re at the courthouse. They should be back in an hour or so, they left at 8.”

Liv’s dark eyes flicked up the clock on the wall, the hands pointed out that it was 9:40, clear as day. Shit! I didn’t realise it was that late. Bull is going to fire me before I’ve even started to help, and I was just beginning to like it here.

Her face obviously betrayed her thoughts, Chunk laughed a little under his breath and smiled at her warmly. “It’s ok, we all get it. You’ve come a long way, you’ve barely been here 2 days, and we kept you out pretty late.”

“Bull’s going to kill me isn’t he?” the awful feeling in the pit of her stomach clenched. 

The stylist grinned mischievously “No, don’t worry, Benny covered for you expertly.” His eyes sparkled. “Our boy seems to have a bit of a soft spot for you. Did he get you home safe?”

Danny rolled her eyes, but smiled at the banter. “I’ll go get us all coffee.”

“Thank you!” Liv welcomed the distraction, but Chunk was having none of it, installing himself in her desk chair. 

“I’m waiting.”

“Hmm?” Liv had hoped it’d be the end of the conversation, as she started to wash her hands and gather her protective gear.

“Benny. He got you back ok? You were a little light headed when the pair of you fell into the cab.”

She looked up at him, eyes wide. “How much of a tit did I make of myself? Go on, I can take it.” 

Chunk laughed heartily and shook his head, “You didn’t mama, You were just dog tired.”

“Mmm everything was a bit of a blur.” It wasn’t. She remembered everything. 

In the cab they’d talked about their families in hushed tones, their heads bowed together, little fingers linked on the seat between them. When they had pulled up to the hotel, he’d told the driver to hold and left everything in the back seat. They’d waited for the lift, but got bored quickly and had ended up racing each other up the four flights of stairs both collapsing at the top, out of breath and laughing uncontrollably. The normally immaculate Benny was showing signs of wear and tear, the longer pieces of his hair had started to move from their perfectly coiffed position, a few sections dangling in his eyes. When they finally made it to her door, he’d given her a hug, his smell of sandalwood and leather engulfing her, an kissed her on the cheek bidding her good night. And then she had the dream. 

Her cheeks fought a flare of heat as she remembered her dream about him. 

“He was very sweet though.”

Chunk nodded. “He’s the king of chivalry.”

Danny re-entered the room clutching three cups of coffee. All talk of Benny’s charming traits died off. Liv had begun to feel a kinship with Chunk, like he was becoming her unofficial work brother, but she knew Danny preferred to keep personal life stuff just that, personal. 

“Coffee. We’ve gotta clear out of here, we’re under instructions from boss man. Good luck Liv. You’ve got until 1, and then the body has to go the prosecution.”

“Thanks Danny.” Liv gave them a last smile before strapping her mask on. “That’s plenty of time.”

They left her alone in the room, Chunk shooting her a wink on his way out the door. 

Fully dressed in protective wear, Liv lifted the lid and sides off the box, exposing Alyssa’s battered body. She ran a finger long the mottled skin of her arm. “I’ll try and be as gentle as I can honey, you’ve seen enough pain.”

***

“You must have spent a fortune on these nails.” Liv said as she slid a swab under the long, finally manicured nails. “They are very pretty, I used to make sure my nails were always nice too, before I started doing my job.” She placed the swab in a tube, and noted the number in her log. “They tend to frown on you having painted nails when you work in a crime lab.” She repeated the same process on Alyssa’s other hand.

“I think it’s got something to do with possible evidence contamination.” 

Liv smiled hearing Benny’s voice, and looked up from Alyssa’s body, he was looking Dapper in a steel grey three piece suit with a white shirt and cobalt blue tie. His olive skin was perfect and showed absolutely no signs of their late night. He shot her a dazzling smile, his dark brown eyes alight. 

“That’s exactly right,” Liv looked back down at the body. She’d finally examined all she could without performing a full autopsy, which would have been deemed unnecessary, she was trying to find evidence that Brandon Peters couldn’t have been her murderer, not checking underlying conditions. “Although I don’t think you’d have needed to think about that in your line of work, would you. I’d have chosen another career path if I was you though, drugs are dangerous.”

“You know, I think I used to watch a tv show where the medical examiner talked to their ….” He trailed off, not wanting to be insensitive, but waved his hand in the direction of her body. 

“I think I know the one. It’s a common thing, I think it keeps us sane. And gives us a bit of purpose.”

He nodded, still keeping his distance from her and the table. She laughed lightly. 

“She’s not going to bite you Benny, and neither will I, unless you ask nicely.” 

Benny’s eyes widened and his eyebrows leapt into his hairline for a few seconds while he processed what she’s just said. He grinned, and took a step closer to them. “Oh, I’ll be sure to.”

Liv was so glad the mask covered all but her eyes, as she flushed a hot pink and her belly twisted, she bit her lip, hidden under the fabric. A little snippet of him, gliding his tongue across her collar bone from her dream the night before exploded into her head. Luckily she wasn’t holding anything in her hands, or she’d have dropped it. She closed her eyes briefly and took a steadying breath, when she opened them again he was smirking. 

She tried desperately to clear the cloud of her mind. 

“How was voire dire?”

Benny cleared his throat and rubbed a hand over his eyes. “Stressful. Rutledge is an asshole that thinks he knows best. We’ve got a good jury though. Should be sympathise with our client. Can’t ask for much more really.” He stretched his legs out in front of him, leaning on her desk and crossed his ankles. He watched Liv as she busied herself washing down Alyssa’s body, and closing the silver transport case. “We’ve got a good mirror jury too. Hopefully it’ll help.”

“You know,” Liv said as she fiddled with the clasps on the case, looking up at him briefly through her eyelashes. “Until I started working closer with court cases, I had no idea voire dire was a thing. I’ve never seen it done. I don’t know what I’d say, if I was doing it.”

“It’s all word play really. Structure the questions so they seem benign but get what you want from the underlying answers. Bull is very good at crafting the right questions.”

Liv nodded and started peeling away her protective clothing, revealing her flattering dark blue jeans and black blouse with its matching camisole. She’d picked the outfit deliberately. It showed off just the right amount of flesh and curve to be enticing, but not too exposing that nothing would be left to the imagination. She grinned internally as Benny subtly looked her up and down with praising eyes. 

“What kind of questions?”

“Why do you catch a cold?” He took a deep breath, but the words of his next question almost ran together “Do you want to come for lunch with me.”

Liv looked at him over her shoulder while she washed and dried her hands. 

“That’s a strange question. The cold one … not the lunch one.”

Benny shrugged. “It worked though. And would you? The lunch. Not the cold.” He gave her a winning smile. 

She felt like a teenager, being asked to the prom by the boy she fancied. “Lunch would be good.” She was impressed with herself. Her babbling was under control, and her confidence with him was soaring. 

“Perfect. Are you ready now? There’s a really nice Italian place just down the block.” 

Liv moved the box of tubes into the fridge, and grabbed her handbag. 

“Italian sounds great. We’ll just need to leave the keys with Marissa so the prosecution can collect her at one.”

They left the lab and Liv locked the door behind her. Benny leaned against the glass wall next to her, their arms touching, the proximity welcomed by both of them. He watched her with those intense eyes, a playful smile on his lips. 

“So tell me, why would you catch a cold?” his voice was hushed, so only the two of them would hear it. 

She felt that unfamiliar wave of confidence crash into her again, and liv chose to embrace it. She looked back at him, her eyes shining with mischief. 

“Me? I’d catch a cold from kissing in the rain.” She shrugged it off as if the answer was the most obvious thing in the world, and started to walk down the corridor, leaving Benny, who was frozen in his place, eyes wide.


	4. Revelations

Liv’s eyebrows raised as she scanned through the menu. She bit her lip and glanced at Benny over the top of the folder. He looked relaxed and in his element, jacket off and sleeved rolled up to his elbows. He had barely even glanced at his menu, and was watching her in amusement. 

“What?” He asked her, humour present in his voice.

“So … do you come here often?” She grinned sheepishly when he laughed at her unintentional joke. “I mean to eat, not as a chat up line … although…”

He gave a loud laugh, tipping his head back slightly and his shoulders shaking. “Aha, yes. Bull and I come here a lot.” He said when he finished laughing, “It’s the perfect place to bring clients.”

“It’s an impressive place to bring clients.” She eyed the prices again, $30 for a basic spaghetti alfredo, it didn’t even come with salad, or bread. She daren’t even think how much the glass of rose in front of her had cost. “Is all of New York this expensive?”

‘Well done Liv … now you sound cheap!’ she thought to herself, mentally faceplanting the table in front of her. ‘you really need to learn to control your verbal diarrhoea.’ 

Benny didn’t look offended at all, he shrugged “We’re a bustling metropolis, you get used to the prices being sky high. It’s not as expensive to live here though. You know, if you decide you like it here.”

Liv smiled at him and sipped her wine. “I guess there could be a few things that might persuade me to stay.” 

“It would be good to have you around more …” He looked sheepish and took a mouthful of his own drink, fingers fidgeting, “you know, we could do with a permanent forensic expert” his words were sputtered and quick.

Liv, who’d had a rush of warmth through her body listening to Benny’s words, felt her heart drop through her stomach. She had only been in New York, and working for TAC for a couple of days, but she’d felt an immediate connection with the dark haired lawyer. He’d made her feel at ease, and made her knees feel weak. He was her idea of a perfect man – kind, passionate, intelligent, dedicated and easy on the eye. 

And he’d flirted with her … right? She chewed her lip, silently questioning herself whether she’d misread his attitude towards her. 

The waiter beside her cleared his throat and made her jump, shaking her out of her thoughts. 

“You alright Liv?” Benny’s brow was furrowed and his eyes were filled with concern. He reached out and laid a hand over hers. Her skin felt tingly at the contact and she smiled at him weakly, nodding her head. 

“Yeah, sorry, spaced out there for a second.” She turned her hand over in his, so they were palm to palm. He smiled and nodded at her, but his eyes still held a little worry. 

“What can I get you Miss?” the waiter asked. 

Liv pulled her attention away from Benny and smiled at him. “The spaghetti Alfredo, please. Nothing else. Thank you.”

The waiter wrote down her order and nodded, collecting up their menus. 

“You sure you’re ok? You left me there for a minute.” Benny asked again, his eyes holding hers with intensity. 

“Not intentionally, sorry.” It was her turn to fiddle with her cutlery uncomfortably. “My thoughts got away from me for a second. I’m back now, I promise, I wont disappear on you again.”

“I’m glad to hear it. I like having you here with me.”

‘There he goes again … that’s flirting right?’

“So tell me more about you Olivia Byrne” Benny took a sip of his drink and leaned back in his chair watching her. 

“You really want me to bore you with my life story?” she joked. 

“I don’t think you could ever bore me, Liv.”

****

“Thank you again for lunch Benny, you really didn’t have to pay for me too.” You said, as the pair of you reached your little lab. 

“It was a pleasure to spend the time with you.” Benny leaned against the door jamb as you unlocked the glass panel. “The first of many, I hope?” the relaxed Benjamin Colon that Liv had had lunch with was gone, he was back to being the perfect pristine lawyer, without even so much as a wrinkle in his jacket. His eyes though, his eyes were the same, somehow a captivating mixture of soft and intense all mixed into one. 

Liv tried to hide the blush that peeked onto her cheeks. “I’d like that.”

“Really?” He smiled wide, dimples in his cheeks and showing off his perfect pearly whites. 

“Aha” Liv laughed and let them into her office, dropping her bag down onto her desk. “I’m surprised I didn’t bore you to death with my life story.”

The TAC fairies had been in again and the makeshift morgue had returned to being a regular lab. Liv shook her head in disbelief, how long had they been at lunch? She swore they’d only been in the restaurant an hour and a half tops. 

“Never.” Benny said seating himself on the edge of her desk. “Someone loves you, you’ve got a parcel here.” He nudged the large yellow padded bag. 

Liv rolled her eyes and sat down, quickly opening the package. She pulled out a little note card, two vacuum sealed bags filled with clothing and a wrapped pair of test tubes. She studied the note, and laughed out loud. Benny peered over her shoulder, also scanning the writing. 

You asked for semen! Have fun! But not too much fun!

Marissa x

He chuckled and shook his head. “The body fluid work never stops for you, does it?”

“What can I say?” She countered, grinning, “Who doesn’t like getting a little messy?”

“I completely agree.” His eyes held that fiery look again, the one that flooded Liv’s skin with goose bumps and made her jig her thighs together to create a bit of friction. 

‘Do you now?’ Liv asked seductively her voice, thick as honey. She licked her lips, and pushed all the items from her desk, not caring about the bangs and crashes. She kicked her chair back and climbed up onto the table, kneeling beside Benny, who was still watching her intently, with a cocky smirk on his handsome face. 

“Want me to show you how much?” his voice was husky and low as he deliberately looked her up and down, as if she was something edible. 

She didn’t give him an answer. She just grabbed him by his lapels and pulled him flush against her, their lips slamming together in a heated, passionate kiss. One hand kept him pulled to her, while the other ran through his silky black hair. He ran a warm hand under the hem of her black blouse, the contact a burning tease. 

“Liv, you’ve gone again.” Benny roused her from her trance with an knowing grin plastered on his handsome face. “What are you thinking about?” his voice had dropped an octave and was oozing anticipation. 

Liv swallowed hard, well aware that her face was probably as red as a phone box. She looked him in the eye and laughed – there was no point playing coy – “Messy things.”

She picked up the packages of clothes and stood up from her desk, walking with purpose over to her work bench. She could still feel his eyes on her, drifting down her back and pausing briefly on her backside. She grinned in victory. She didn’t know what it was with this man that made her feel like a naughty twenty something again, but she was enjoying every minute of it. 

He made a noise in his throat that she wasn’t sure whether it was a sigh or him clearing it. 

“I should get going Liv, before Bull comes looking for me.” He stood up and straightened his jacket. 

“Mmm I’m sure you have boring legal work to do, you can’t stay and play mad scientist all day.”

He smirked and raised and eyebrow, watching her as she put on her lab coat and gloves. “Is that what you do in here really? Pretend you’re helping us, but really you’re plotting to take over the world with chemical warfare?” 

Liv laughed and waved the material she had just taken out of the bag at him. “That’s right, you caught me. And I’m starting this experiment with these … lovely semen stained jeans … mmm” they both pulled a face and laughed. 

“Well, it’s a starting point.” He made his way towards the door, but stopped in the doorway. “You know where to find me if you need anything … or a sidekick … if you can steal me away from Bull.”

“I do. See you later Benny. Go, before I get you or I in trouble.” 

He nodded and left the lab, but ducked his head back in a couple of seconds later.

“Oh and Liv …” 

Liv looked up from her task, and smiled as she saw him grinning at her. 

“You look good in a white coat.” And with that he was gone, not even leaving her time to reply. 

She swore her face was going to split in half with how wide she was smiling.

****

“Good god, what are those?” Liv asked Cable, her mouth hanging open a little as she took in the black and white photograph on the cyber whizz’s screen. 

“I know, they’re racy, right?” Cable agreed. Flipping through the files to show the rest of the set to Liv, who’s eyebrows were climbing ever higher into her hairline. “I found them in the snapchat ether.”

“I’m guessing they’re Brandon’s right? They’re pretty severe.”

“Yup, see his monogram, here?” cable pointed to the little embroidery on all the pillows. 

Liv rolled her eyes and made a noise of disgust, “ugh rich kids.” She studied the photo closer and furrowed her brow in confusion. “That’s not Alyssa Yang. The bone structure is incorrect, and those are definitely not Alyssa’s nails, she bites. Any idea who it is?”

Cable shrugged “I think Bull has an idea. Brandon says they’re not even sexual. Boss is convinced he’s lying about something.”

“Well, he can’t deny he had sex, and a lot of it. There’s enough semen on his clothes I swear I could fill a pint glass.”

Cable wrinkled her nose “That’s gross.”

Liv nodded, “Mhmm, I never said my job was glamourous.” She handed Cable a USB drive that she’s plotted all the DNA strands from the clothing and samples onto, as well as the skin and blood samples from Alyssa’s body. “Could you do me a favour when you have a minute? I know you’ll do it ten times faster than I will.”

Cable shrugged and popped the USB into her pocket “Sure, what can I do for you?”

“Can you match these DNA markers to any records or files or strands available on the internet? I’ve only got access to the police and medical databases.”

“Sure, no problem Liv, I’ll get on it for you later.” 

“Thanks honey.” Liv squeezed her shoulder and looked towards the glass wall that was the front of Benny’s office. It was empty, and the lights were off. Her brow furrowed, he hadn’t even stopped into the lab to say good night. 

Cable caught Liv’s gaze and smirked knowingly. “You looking for Benny?”

“oh, uh, no, not especially.” Liv felt the skin of her cheeks burn in a hot blush as she tried to cover her disappointment. ‘is it really that obvious.’

“He and Bull got pulled out to have a late meeting with Rutledge and Peters. They’ll be out pretty late. They kind of left in a hurry.”

Liv hummed an acknowledgment and looked at her phone. the happy face of her puppy on her background told her it was 6 30 pm. “there’s nothing much else I can do with my day, so I’m going to go back to my hotel, have a glass of wine and read a book in the bath I think. Will you tell them I said bye when they get back. 

Cable nodded and turned back to her screen. “Sure thing. Sounds like a solid plan, enjoy it.”

Liv gave her shoulders a little squeeze. “Night Cable. Thank you. And that you for running those for me.”

The younger woman smiled warmly. “No problem, good night.” 

Liv made sure her bag was on her shoulder and left TAC, heading into the elevator and out into the buzzing New York night. 

****

Liv had decided she was going to have a relaxing evening. She’d ordered some fancy chicken dish for dinner and a bottle of white wine, along with the chilled chocolate mousse for dessert. It was an evening for decadence. The only thing she was missing, she thought to herself, as she lowered into a hot bubble bath with the bathroom lights dimmed to a warm golden glow, was having someone there to share it with her. 

She eased into the water and shut her eyes, imagining that she was not alone. That her back was pressed against Benny’s hard chest and her head rested on his shoulder. In her mind he was drawing delicate little circles on the flesh of her arms with his fingertips, and murmuring things in her ear, occasionally pressing kisses into her hair, and soothing her into a relaxing sleep. 

Liv woke with a bit of a start as her email tone chimed loudly from the other room. She grumbled and pulled herself out of the tub. She’d been enjoying that little fantasy. She wrapped a towel around herself and sat cross legged on her bed, pulling her laptop to her. 

She opened the email from Cable. 

‘Hi Liv, Sorry it’s taken a little bit of time for me to search them up for you.’ 

Liv glanced at the clock in the corner of her screen. 21:44. It hadn’t taken her long at all. It would have taken Liv easily a day to search the information Cable had in a couple of hours. 

‘I’ve managed to match up the semen from the trousers and tests. I’ve packaged the results up for you. I’m still running the matches from Alyssa’s body. Hope this helps a bit! C 😊’

Liv opened the attached documents and scanned her eyes through the matching results. As she thought, the majority of the DNA strands found in the semen from the tubes, Alyssa’s body and the clothing matched Brandon Peter’s DNA profile. But one set of DNA stood out massively, and Liv’s jaw dropped. The matching profile could be a huge break in the case. 

The revelation completely made Liv forget her state of undress, the towel being the only thing covering her naked body, as she dialled the first number she thought to call in a video call. 

The phone rang for a few seconds, and Liv bit her lip while she waited for Benny to answer. 

After a couple of rings he answered the video call. He looked exhausted, but still well turned out. His hair was messy, and he’s swapped his three piece suit for a deep blue work out t shirt that clung to his muscles. Beads of sweat lined his forehead and black gloves covered his hands as he waved at her. She’d clearly caught him in the middle of a work out. 

“Benny, I’m so sorry, am I disturbing you?”

He smirked at her and took a seat on a near by chair. She caught a glimpse of the surrounds around him and realised he was still at the office.

“Dressed like that? Not at all.”

Liv’s eyes widened in horror as she realised she was still only in a towel. 

“Holy fuck. I’m sorry I should have put clothes on. I can do that and call you back?”

“And spoil my fun?” He was grinning at her, enjoying the situation. “What’s up Liv? You look frazzled.”

“Benny, I need you to come here, I’ve had an unexpected breakthrough.”


	5. Benny doesn't share food!!

Liv had just managed to tidy up a bit and throw on a t shirt and a pair if shorts before there was a knock at her hotel room door. Quickly she checked her reflection in the mirror – she’d managed to tame her hair into a long plait and luckily she’d yet to take her subtle make up off. 

She opened the door and smiled at Benny, who stood patiently at the threshold. He hadn’t stopped to change out of his work out wear, and she look a moment to enjoy his exposed arm muscles. He had fixed his hair though. 

“I’m really sorry for dragging you out this late.” She started to apologise, stepping out the way so he could come past her and enter the room. 

“No need to apologise, didn’t I say call me whenever you need me?” He shot her a cheeky grin and winked “Quite sad you’ve put clothes on though, the towel dress was a good look.”

“But a chilly one.” She closed the door and followed him into the depths of the room. He took a seat on a plush green armchair and looked around. 

“It’s a nice hotel room you’ve got here.”

“Thank you, you actually get to see inside it this time.” She laughed and grabbed a pair of glasses from the under-desk cabinet. “Can I get you a drink?” she waved the bottle of wine and glasses at him. 

“A drink would be great. Thank you.”

“Well, I have a bottle of white wine here, or water, or I can call room service to get you a scotch?”

“White wine is fine, no need to fuss.” Benny got up from his chair and came over to her smiling warmly. He took the bottle in one hand and placed the other on the small of her back, nudging her toward the seating area. She couldn’t help but replicate his smile, his small gesture was so familiar – commanding and gentle – completely Benny Colon. 

They both sat in the chairs and Benny poured them each a glass of wine. A moment of comfortable silence fell over the room as they sipped their drinks. 

“So, what did you find? Benny asked putting his glass down and imperceptivity shifting into business Benny mode, his expression serious. 

“After you’d left this afternoon, I managed to collate and package up those semen samples. I ran a whole barrage of tests – potency, virility, DNA markers, age verification …”

Benny grimaced “You can run a test for that?” 

Liv nodded and took a gulp of her wine. “Well, yeah, every man’s sperm is like a signature to them. One of a kind if you like. It’s kind of an off shoot from the DNA markers. It’s also how we check for any present illnesses that may show up in a sperm count.”

Benny nodded and gestured for her to continue. 

“Anyway, the vast majority of it belongs to Brandon – as we expected. But, there’s sperm there that doesn’t fit his DNA markers.”

“So that means … he wasn’t just having sex with women on that boat …”

“Exactly. And according to my test results we’re looking for an older man. Cable sent me a few hits, I just need to go through them and pinpoint before we put the cat among the pigeons.”

Benny furrowed his brow in confusion. “But I thought it was all individual?”

Liv nodded, “It is. But it’s easier to pull correct 99.9% accurate results when you have a ‘living’ sample to compare it to. This sample is a mere smidgen and faded on material, it’s harder to pull a correct reading straight off. Comparisons are harder.”

“I’m sure this will help us, somehow. Thank you.”

Liv shrugged, “It’s all part of my job.” She yawned and stretched her arms above her head. Benny’s eyes instantly fell to the strip of flesh that peeked out with the movement. “Sorry to call you out in the dead of night, now that I say it out loud, it could have waited.” She bit her lip bashfully, and played with the frayed hem of her shorts. 

“Don’t be sorry! I’m finding spending my evenings with you is a pleasure. I’m glad you tore me away actually, ten more minutes and Bull would have forced me into some night time trial prep.”

“I saw you were in the office, don’t you have a home to go to Mr Colon?” she joked not caring if she sounded openly flirty. The wine had gone straight to her head from the adrenaline rush. 

Benny laughed, relaxing now that the business talk was over and done with. “I do. A nice modern apartment about ten minutes from the office. I do get to go home and relax sometimes.” He looked thoughtful for a second. “It gets a bit quiet though.” 

“Nothing at all to come home to?” Liv could have kicked herself for asking the question. She desperately wanted to hear the answer, but she didn’t at the same time. It was like her subconscious needed to know if she was wasting her time, or if she was going to be heart broken by this Latin demi god. 

He chuckled lightly and fixed her with that intense gaze. “Nothing. Not even a pet.”

“That’s a little sad. I don’t know what I’d do without my puppy.” She handed him her phone, proudly showing off her pride and joy. “His name is Chico. He’s my fur baby.”

“He looks friendly.” Benny handed her back her phone “Who’s looking after him while you’re here?”

“My best friend. Eliza basically moved into my flat to make sure he won’t wreck it.”

Benny nodded and glanced at his watch “I should really be getting home.” He got up and made his way to the door. Liv followed him and paused while he opened the door chewing her bottom lip. 

“Thanks for the drink Liv.” He was stood close enough that she could hear his lowered voice.

How does he still smell amazing after working out?

“No, thank you for coming. You really didn’t have to.”

“A beautiful girl tells me she needs me, wearing nothing but a towel? I’d have no brain if I said no.” He tucked a stray piece of hair back behind her ear and pulled her into a hug. She enjoyed the gesture, wrapping her arms around his neck, and breathing in the masculine, musky scent of his hair. 

Benny pulled away far too early for her liking, leaving her feeling suddenly cold without his body heat. 

“I’ll see you in the morning. Sleep well.” He winked at her and started to walk down the corridor towards the elevator. 

“Good night Benny!” she called after him. 

“Good night Liv.”

**** 

“So why wasn’t I invited to this pyjama party?” Bull asked accusingly, looking at Benny and Olivia over the top of his glasses as they talked in his office the next morning. 

“It was late and I didn’t want to disturb you …” Liv uncomfortably pushed an imaginary crease out of her skirt in agitation. Benny just rolled his eyes. 

“Give it up Bull, you’re not invited to everything.” The lawyer pointed to the files Liv had placed on Bull’s desk. “What is important, is that Liv here, found an anomaly in the semen.”

“An anomaly?” Bull started looking through the paperwork. 

“I’ve not been able to get an exact match yet, but there’s more than just Brandon’s semen on his jeans from that night.”

“He was with another man.” 

Bull nodded, flicking through each sheet. 

“My tests say it’s an older man. I’ve got to do a bit of DNA profile matching today before I can give you a precise who.”

“Good work. This might just be the ace we’re looking for.”

**** 

“So I missed a hell of a day, clearly.” Liv said as she sat down next to Benny at the communal table. 

Cable nodded emphatically. “Gun play and everything.”

“Pete Peters is in the hospital with a GSW. And Clyde is pushing for a second degree manslaughter deal at the DA’s office.” Benny said pouring water into Liv’s glass. 

“He’s just sore because that brat Taylor Bensimon threw the ipad at his face.” Danny added as she and Chunk unloaded the group’s Chinese order out onto the table, separating it off for each person. 

“Bensimon … where have I heard that name?” Liv pondered, tapping her nails on the table and furrowing her brow in thought. 

“They’re everywhere in this case.” Benny said, accepting his order from Danny. 

“The families are tightly linked. Like Taylor and Brandon were paired off as kids, without even a say.” Cable confirmed through a mouthful of noodles.

“Speak of the devil. “ Marissa said under her breath, but loud enough for the whole table to hear as Bull came through the door, leading Brandon over to their table. 

“Have a seat Brandon.” The psychologist put pressure on his shoulders and he sat awkwardly next to Liberty. The kid’s eyes were red rimmed. 

“Here you go momma.” Chunk handed Liv her lemon chicken and rice, sitting down next to her with his own food. 

“Ugh Chunk, Have I told you lately that I love you?” Liv asked, opening the box and inhaling the sweet scent from inside. 

“No, but you have now.”

“To business.” Bull said as he paced around the table. “Brandon here, is going to testify. We need to give him some advice. Go.”

“Speak up.” Marissa nodded at the young boy, trying to be as kind as she possibly could be. 

“Answer directly.” Benny said, putting a dumpling in his mouth. 

“Keep your hands still.”

“Don’t slouch.” Benny said through a full mouth. 

“Only answer questions, not statements.”

“Don’t fill silences.”

“Don’t smoke on breaks.”

“Don’t talk with your mouth full, jeez Benny, I thought you were a gentleman?” Liv laughed, slapping Benny’s bicep. His eyes went wide and he swallowed quickly. 

“I was hungry.” He shrugged and winked at her. Liv shook her head wondering how he could be charming, even after such a revolting move. 

“What did I tell you Liv, like a rabid animal when he’s hungry.” Cable joked.

He pouted and offered her a dumpling from his box, which Liv gladly accepted, with a friendly nudge of the elbow. 

Everyone around the table that knew Benny watched the interaction open mouthed. 

Benjamin Colon never willingly shared food.


End file.
